Stranger in the Night
by IantojJackh
Summary: Someone shows up suddenly and unexpectedly in Cardiff one rainy night. Why has she shown up now, after all this time? Most importantly what does Ianto know about the reappearance? Established Ianto/Jack and Gwen/Rhys. Past Ianto/Lisa- NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Stranger in the Night 1/5 + Epilogue x2  
**Author**: Iantojjackh  
**Spoilers**: Everything up to Exit Wounds. Set several years post s2 where CoE and MD don't exist.  
**Pairing/Characters:** Jack/Ianto, Past Ianto/Lisa, Gwen  
**Warnings**: Some darkish theme in later chapters  
**Beta**: czarinakitty  
**Summary**: Someone shows up suddenly and unexpectedly in Cardiff one rainy night. Why has she shown up now, after all this time? Most importantly what does Ianto know about the reappearance?  
**Notes**: It's been almost a year since I last posted to this story, but I've reworked what I had posted and now the story is now complete and I will be posting a chapter a day. Special thanks to spud1963 who nudged me to finish this. Please leave feedback.

* * *

**_Chapter 1_**

It had been raining since they arrived in Cardiff. Rain was a way of life here, or so he said. London was not much better in terms of weather and she should have known that wearing Wellies and having an umbrella would have been a smart idea, but the fight was unexpected as was the running from the hotel. She had never seen the mean, petty side of her boyfriend of a year and a half until tonight. The childish side sometimes seemed like a default attitude, but never this and it kind of scared her. The last lines of the argument played over in her head.

_"Your family is nothing to be ashamed of."_

_"I've kept my distance for good reason."_

_"Family is important."_

_"We shouldn't have come. We should've stayed in London."_

_"Don't be such a prat."_

_"I only agreed to come to stop your nagging. We're here and you are still nagging. Just drop it for once. You never let anything go. I'm done with this."_

Now, she was running. She did not think he was going to hit her, but she was not going stand around and bear the brunt of his bad mood either. The problem was that she was not familiar with Cardiff and soon the upset woman found herself lost. Pride stopped her from calling the cranky boyfriend for help.

The rain continued to fall, drenching her to the core. It was not much longer before she could no longer feel the rain falling. Now she found herself by the bay, and if memory served her right, Torchwood Three was based here. Would they help her even if they had severed all ties with One? There were the stories of the man who ran the operation, Captain Jack Harkness. A man who would shag anything with a pulse. That thought repulsed her. She was brought up to believe that a relationship should be cherished and not made a mockery by having multiple partners and if rumors were true, some not even human.

The soaked woman was relieved to see a visitor's centre in the distance. She made a quick dash towards it and let out a scream of frustration when it was locked. Then she felt an electric surge through her body and everything went dark.

* * *

Gwen hustled toward the entrance to the Hub after a quick dinner run. She planned on catching up on some long due paperwork, hoping things would be quiet with Jack and Ianto out for the evening, and probably into the early morning knowing them.

"When's this bloody rain going to stop?" she pulled her hood tight. Gwen did not see the body before she tripped over it. "Oi!" she quickly regained her composure and checked on the other person. "Oh, thank god." She was relieved to find a pulse. "Miss, can you hear me?" The rain obscured a clear view of the barely conscious woman's face.

"What happened?" the woman mumbled as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. "So...so cold." Her teeth chattered as she spoke.

"Let's get you inside." Gwen assisted the woman in standing.

"It's locked," she said as she leaned against the building for support.

"Good thing I've got a key." Gwen unlocked the door and helped the shivering woman in, put her in the chair behind the desk and got her a blanket that was kept under the desk.

"Thank you." With clothes thoroughly soaked, the woman felt like she would never be warm again.

"What brings you out in such this weather?"

"Needed a break from the prat." She saw a wedding ring on the other woman's hand, knowing her boyfriend had a long way to mature before they talked about marriage.

"You got into a fight with your husband?" Gwen asked. There was only one reason someone could run out in this weather without proper attire and for the way the stranger eyed her rings. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" She searched for something to help the other woman warm up.

"Boyfriend. We got into a fight about visiting his family. He didn't want to come, but I forced him into it. He doesn't want to have anything to do with his family. It's his niece's third birthday and he's never met her or her older brother. He's the one from Cardiff. I got bloody lost and I have no idea how to get back to the hotel." It felt cathartic to get that off her chest. Sometimes it was easier to unload your problems to strangers. They did not know either party and had no sides to take. "How can I tell him about the baby if he puts no value in family? Why can men be such selfish children?"

"I don't know," Gwen said with a laugh. "They just are sometimes. It feels like I have four children some days."

"Four?"

"My daughter, my husband and the two blokes I work with." There were days Jack was the biggest kid of them all and those were the days she left him in the care of Ianto. Then there were the days when both men acted like toddlers in the middle of a temper tantrum and those were the days Gwen wanted to call in sick and sometimes did.

"Sounds like you've got your hands full." The lost woman pulled the blanket closer when something bright red caught her eye from inside a cubby hole. "What's this doing here?" She pulled out a paddle that had fur on one side and leather on the other. "What kind of visitor's office is this?"

Gwen's face morphed into mortified shock when she saw the paddle. "Oi, those two. They promised they had stopped this. Let me take that." The embarrassed woman would have a long talk with the boys about playing their games in the office and tossed the paddle behind the beaded curtain.

"I'm sorry for unloading all of this on you. I'm just...I don't know."

"I understand, hon," Gwen lauded her and put a hand on the woman's arm which still felt ice cold.

"Thank you for helping me." She bit her lip, nervously looking in the direction the paddle was thrown. Never in a million years would she think about using something like that. The wildest thing she had done in bed was having sex in a tent on a beach in France and that was mainly for warmth.

"It's no bother. What hotel are you staying at? I can give you a ride there," Gwen offered.

"Thank you. We are staying at the Ibis. Do you know where that is? I don't recall the street it's on." The shivering was starting to subside.

"Sure I know where it is. I've lived here my whole life and know the city inside and out." Gwen offered her arm to the weary looking woman. "You should tell him about the baby. You'd be surprised how quickly he might grow up learning that he is going to be a father."

"I hope you're right." The woman slowly got up and took the offered help. "You've been too kind. Thank you again...I don't even know your name."

"No need to thank me. It's Gwen Cooper." Even after the years of marriage it was still odd to use Rhys' surname.

"Lisa Hallett."

As quickly as she said her name, there was now a gun pointed at Lisa's head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Stranger in the Night 2/5 + Epilogue x2  
**Author**: Iantojjackh  
**Spoilers**: Everything up to Exit Wounds. Set several years post s2 where CoE and MD don't exist.  
**Pairing/Characters: **Jack/Ianto, Past Ianto/Lisa, Gwen  
**Warnings**: Some darkish theme in later chapters  
**Beta**: czarina-kitty  
**Summary**: Someone shows up suddenly and unexpectedly in Cardiff one rainy night. Why has she shown up now, after all this time? Most importantly what does Ianto know about the reappearance?  
**Notes**: It's been almost a year since I last posted to this story, but I've reworked what I had posted and now the story is complete and I will be posting a chapter a day. Special thanks to spud1963 who nudged me to finish this. Please leave feedback so I know what you think.

* * *

**_Chapter 2: Into the Hub_**

Lisa flinched as a gun was pointed at her. Her training did not prepare her for this; being a researcher, she had no arms or combat training. More importantly, Lisa wondered why the moment she had said her name, a gun was pulled.

Gwen had hoped this was a sick joke or some one in a million coincidence. She had not seen Lisa outside of the cyber conversion unit and Ianto never had pictures of her, or ones that he showed anyway. It had to be a coincidence or Ianto had been keeping big secrets again.

"That is not funny," Gwen hissed. She was ready to shoot if necessary.

"Excuse me?" Lisa's voice was coated with fear and she was shaking again, not from the cold this time. "I don't know what you are talking about. I'm just a researcher."

Some of the pieces started to fall together. Torchwood Three was located in Cardiff Bay and with its severed ties to One, she thought there might 'a shoot on sight' order for all London employees. But sadistic was not one of the words Lisa had heard associated with Jack Harkness. Nor was Gwen Cooper on the list of active Torchwood operatives, unless the name was a cover.

"I really am lost. Yvonne Hartman did not send me," Lisa pleaded.

"Who?" Gwen asked, thoroughly confused. "Just stop talking." She reached over and pressed the button to open the hub. "Don't give me a reason to shoot you." Gwen's voice shook slightly. She did not know how to handle the situation, knowing that Jack should be brought in on this, but she did not want to ruin his and Ianto's night. It was the couple's first wedding anniversary, married in a small and intimate ceremony in the park where they had met. She could detain the prisoner in the cells until morning and then they could deal with the fallout.

"I'm not giving you any reason." Lisa knew she just had to go along with everything. If this was Torchwood Three, then she could sort everything out once she talked to its leader. "Just don't hurt the baby."

"Shit," Gwen cursed. She had forgotten about Lisa mentioning a pregnancy. She hoped for everyone's sake that this was not what it looked like. There was no way Ianto could betray them again, was there? Gwen did not want to think on it because Ianto seemed genuinely happy in his life with Jack.

The rest of the trip was wrought with awkward silence and as soon as the cog doors opened, Gwen led Lisa to a seat and kept the gun trained on her. One false move and she would shoot with no questions asked. "What are you doing here? I want the truth."

Lisa made sure she did not make any sudden moves, but she could not help but be in awe of the place. It looked like they had an impressive operation. "I told you the truth. Is this a sick game your boss likes to play when he gets his hands on someone from One? I've heard the stories about Jack Harkness."

Things were not making sense and Gwen wondered what games were being played. "I don't know who you are or what you are getting at. Maybe you have some bad intel, but Torchwood One no longer exists. It hasn't for some time."

"Are you mad? We just left London last night and it was there. We came to visit my boyfriend's family. Is that what Jack Harkness is telling his employees? Is he that disgusted with what we stand for that he is ignoring our existence? Just like a freak to take the chicken way out." Lisa figured if she was going to die here, she better go out fighting. That included insults and all.

"Excuse me?" Insulting either of her boys did not sit well. "Now I think you should shut up and only answer when I tell you." If she had a problem with who Jack was then Gwen could imagine the reaction when Lisa learned her supposed boyfriend was married to Jack.

"Don't like it when I call your boss names? When Yvonne hears about this, she will make sure Jack doesn't get away with this." Movement from above drew Lisa's attention toward Jack's office. She could only see a shadow and could not be sure if the figure could see her. "Is that him watching us?"

Gwen thought Jack and Ianto had long since gone and could not be sure if both were up there. She hated that she was about to ruin their anniversary as both men had been looking forward to this night for weeks. It was actually more like Jack teasing Ianto about the plans he made while refusing to divulge any details. "Jack? Jack is that you?"

There was no response and Gwen frowned, thinking it was Ianto in Jack's office. But he would have let her know it was him up there, so maybe whichever one of them it was simply did not hear her.

"It's just you and the freak here? Jack and the other bloke, they are a couple, right?" Lisa curled her lip and looked around the cavernous space. "Don't you think an underground base is a little cliqued?"

Gwen shook her head, unable to see how someone as sweet as Ianto could have loved a woman with such hate. Lisa did not seem so bad a first, but everything changed when her unfounded hatred for Jack reared its very ugly head. She thought it could have been brainwashing from working at One, but Ianto never hated Jack except for when he thought he had killed Lisa. Gwen was fiercely protective of the men, as they all were of each other. She started to believe that there was no way this was the same woman who Ianto fought so hard the save six years ago, but she could see how she was the one who tried to kill them all. "Your boyfriend's niece...what is her name? How old is she?"

Lisa refused to answer the question. "I don't see what that has to do with you pointing a gun at me." She made a mental note to ask her boss about weapons training for everyone on staff, especially if there was a chance of them coming into contact with anyone from Three again.

"Just answer the questions. I don't think you are really in the position not to." Gwen hated to act like this, but she needed more of the picture before she confronted Ianto on anything.

Lisa rolled her eyes and stared straight down the barrel of the gun, "Mica Davies. She's three. Do you need my boyfriend's name and age too? Ianto Jones age twenty-three. He works at One too."

Gwen shook her head, holding back the urge to slap the woman in front of her. She hid the relief when Lisa said Mica's age, knowing Ianto's niece was much older than that and they had celebrated Ianto's twenty-ninth birthday two months ago. It meant that this appearance had something to do with the rift. Lisa was a woman out of her normal time. A time where she was still with Ianto before their lives went to hell and back. Gwen put her gun away slowly, ready to fill Lisa in on some of the truth. "There are some things you should know."

Lisa looked bewildered as the gun was put away. "Like what? Are you going to let me go now? Ianto might be an immature arse right now, but he will worry if I'm not back soon."

"I can't do that..." She stopped, hearing another voice. Crap, I thought he was gone. Gwen held up her hand, telling Lisa if she spoke there would be consequences. From the way the voice was traveling, Gwen knew they were headed to the underground car park and would not pass by the area she and Lisa were sitting in. On the off chance that their path deviated, Gwen went to cut them off so the guest would not be seen.

"I'm leaving now. If you'd stop sending the pornographic texts...you sent a picture? See, this is why I'm only leaving your office now. Yes, I have them on, Jack. Think of the leather ones as punishment. No, I will not spank you in the car. I'm hanging up now. I'll be at the car in two minutes. I love you too."

Ianto hung up the phone and looked at the picture Jack sent him. "I'm married to a lunatic. A very sexy one, but a lunatic nonetheless." Maybe Jack was going to get his spanking after all with the x-rated picture. The blushing man could not take his eyes off the picture until a sound drew his attention.

"Umm. Gwen. I thought you went to get dinner?" His blush grew deeper, knowing she had heard his half of the conversation with the naughty Captain.

Gwen froze. Should she tell him about Lisa being here or let him enjoy his anniversary? When Gwen left her, she was in a state of shocked horror, too disgusted to move or speak. Gwen had grown used to the men's antics, but there were still times she was shocked what came out of their mouths. Ianto deserved to know the truth, but the truth could wait a couple of hours, couldn't it? "I'm not going to ask. I learned to stop asking a long time ago. Nice trousers by the way." It was odd to see Ianto wearing something other than a suit and his fitted blue shirt bought out the colour of his eyes. Any woman with half a brain would give Ianto the once over, appreciative look.

"Jack hates them. Limits the fun he can have." Ianto stopped when he realized he had said too much. "I shouldn't keep Jack waiting, no matter how much he deserves it."

"Such a shame you're married," Gwen wanted to make sure Lisa heard her, in case she got any ideas about making her presence known. She winked to let Ianto know she was joking.

"Don't let Jack hear you flirting with me. He'd either get jealous or find it a turn on." Ianto rolled his eyes and laughed. "Enjoy your quiet night."

She watched as the man started to leave. "Wait a minute, Ianto."

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Stranger in the Night 3/5  
**Author**: Iantojjackh  
**Spoilers**: Everything up to Exit Wounds. Set several years post s2 where CoE and MD don't exist.  
**Pairing/Characters:** Jack/Ianto, Past Ianto/Lisa, Gwen  
**Warnings**: Some darkish themes in later chapters  
**Beta**: czarina-kitty  
**Rating**: PG  
**Summary**: Someone shows up suddenly and unexpectedly in Cardiff one rainy night. Why has she shown up now, after all this time? Most importantly what does Ianto know about the reappearance?  
**Notes**: It's been almost a year since I last posted to this story, but I've reworked what I had posted and now the story is complete and I will be posting a chapter a day. Please leave feedback so I know what you think.

* * *

**_Chapter 3: The Captain and The Other Woman_**

"What is it?" Ianto paused, sensing the hesitation in Gwen's voice.

Gwen smiled and shook her head. She could not ruin his night and with the way she left Lisa, the woman was not going anywhere. She had a look of abject horror and shock on her face at hearing Ianto's side of his conversation with Jack. "Nothing." She forced the smile to look real. "You and Jack enjoy your evening. Happy Anniversary," Gwen offered her well wishes and placed a friendly kiss on the Welshman's cheek. "I don't want a call that you two were arrested."

"The charges were dropped last time."

"No more naked hide and seek on the wharf."

"Right," Ianto laughed, gave a half salute and ran toward the garage where Jack was waiting in the car.

Gwen shook her head and smirked. Long gone were the days where Ianto was quiet and reserved. There were some days he was worse than Jack. Gwen doubted Lisa ever saw this side of Ianto. When she returned to Lisa, she saw the woman was now fuming mad.

"What kind of games are you lot playing?" Lisa ranted, refusing to believe any of things she just heard.

"None." Gwen shook her head.

Lisa closed her eyes and slammed her hand on the table, "Bollocks. That man is not Ianto Jones. My boyfriend would never cheat on me. And married? Is this why he never wanted to visit his family? He has a secret life here?" Lisa did not think Ianto was the deceptive type and wondered what his connection with Three was. Was he spying on Yvonne for Jack or spying on Jack for Yvonne and the whole marriage/civil partnership was part of the cover. Ianto was always a James Bond fan. The idea of him getting his spy thing on bought a hint of a smile to her face.

"I don't know why Ianto never visited before he moved here, but he is now close to his sister and her family," Gwen answered. Ianto's past was usually an out of bounds issue, something Ianto only shared with his other half.

"Now?" Lisa stuttered.

"Some time passed since you arrived here. I'm sure you have heard that a rift through space and time runs through Cardiff." There was so much to say and Gwen knew she was not the person to say it.

"What does this rift have to do with me?" Lisa's jaw clenched, frustration growing at the lack of answers. She knew about the rift, but she never bothered to understand what it did.

"Things sometimes slip through the rift. Things out of their space or in your case out of their time." Gwen tried to explain it in the simplest terms.

With the gun not pointed at her, Lisa was able calm down and not let fear rule what came out of her mouth. "Out of my time?"

"I would say approximately six years. Once I know more I can give an exact time. Did you bother asking your guest what the date is?"

The voice made both woman jump, not expecting anyone else to be here.

"Jack," Gwen said nervously. "I thought you two left." She looked around to see if Ianto had come with him.

"Stayed in the car," Jack's voice had an edge of menace. It was obvious what Gwen was looking for. "You were never a very good liar. Ianto knew something was wrong and I decided to see what it was before we left. Though, I'd admit, this is not what I expected." Jack fought to keep his cool, despite the explosive potential of the situation. There was no harm in marking his territory and making sure Lisa saw the wedding band on his finger.

Lisa kept a close eye on Jack, his smugness radiating off him and purposefully flaunting the ring on his finger. Her hands trembled slightly and she clutched them to her side. "Six years? How are you certain?" Lisa carefully studied the man behind the many stories. Many of them where dead on. Smug, arrogant, charming and drop dead gorgeous, although she would not admit the last one even if her life depended on it.

"It's how long Ianto has been back in Cardiff," Jack said giving as little information as possible. He knew anything he said could affect the time line. In fact Lisa being here had a chance for major repercussions. She was going to need a nice dose of retcon once they were ready to send her back, but Jack's main concern was what this was going to do to Ianto and the uncertainty made his stomach tighten.

"Is being vague the way things work here? Or is this just lies and made up lies to get back at us. To punish Yvonne for the bollocking she gave you last month?" Lisa looked between the two for answers.

"No lies. Only vague when timelines are concerned. Say the wrong thing and everything changes," Jack said nonchalantly. The only conversation with Yvonne that Lisa could be talking about happened two months before Canary Wharf fell. "You are here for Mica's third birthday?" With that little bit of information, Jack was able to figure out exactly where in time Lisa came from. A month for now in Lisa timeline, her life as she knew it would come to an end.

"Yes," Lisa allowed. Adrenaline coursed through her body and fear clouded her eyes. "Why is this happening? Did you brainwash Ianto into being with you? He would never go for someone like you." She did not know what Jack was capable of and it was oddly exciting and scary at the same time.

"Someone like me? Do you mean because I'm a man or..." Jack tilted his head, trying to read Lisa. From what Ianto said about Lisa, she did not seem the homophobic type, but when one realized their supposed boyfriend is married to another man harsh words can be said in a fit of anger. Jack recalled Ianto mentioning Lisa's sister was living with a woman before he left London.

"She said some things before," Gwen interrupted.

"You had a gun in my face. How did you expect me to react? I've heard the stories about you? What kind of lifestyle is that? And I mean having someone or something different in your bed every night. A man slut is the phrase I would use," Lisa said with her nose turned up at the promiscuous tales of Captain Jack Harkness.

Jack laughed with smug satisfaction. "Let me guess, Yvonne Hartman told you?" He was not going to speak ill of the dead. "Those are just stories and most of them might have been true when you heard them, but those days are long behind me. I've been in a monogamous relationship for the last five years. There was no brainwashing involved." It was time for petty Jack to come out and play. There was no way he was going to give up the best thing that ever happened to him without a fight. In his mind there was no way to compare a relationship that only lasted a third of the time he had been with Ianto.

Gwen quietly excused herself and retreated to another part of the hub to give the two people vying for Ianto some privacy.

"Five years?" Lisa repeated just to make sure she had heard that right. She still was not convinced that Ianto had not been brainwashed. "I heard Ianto's half of his conversation with you. That sounds nothing like him. You had to do something to him."

Jack did not take kindly to being accused of whatever Lisa was trying to stay. "I don't like what you are implying. We both are very willing participants in our marriage. Either of us can walk out whenever we want." The Captain did his best to remain calm and not begin to boast about his amazing sex life with the sexy Welshman. There was a time and a place for that kind of talk and this was not it. It also was not the time to tell her that Ianto's devotion to her could have brought about the end of the world. There would never be a right time for that.

Lisa's mind was reeling with everything her brain was trying to process. It was like she had fallen though the rabbit hole and everything she knew had changed. In the case the rabbit hole was a very real thing called the rift. There were so many questions that she had, questions that she doubted Jack or Gwen would answer.

_Why was Ianto no longer working in London?_

_Why were she and Ianto no longer together?_

_What would make Ianto fall for someone as unscrupulous as Jack Harkness?_

_Is Ianto a part of his child's life and is Jack a part too?_

_How was she going to get home and stop this future from happening?_

"I want to talk Ianto and hear his side of everything," Lisa demanded, but it sounded almost like a desperate plea. She wanted to see her boyfriend for herself to make sure he was really okay.

"I can do that." Jack's voice was even, not displaying any emotion. Truthfully, he was scared like he had never been before. Had Ianto had a normal breakup with Lisa he would not be worried, but he knew there was still a part of his husband that loved Lisa, a part that would always love her. Ianto still got withdrawn and sullen on the anniversary of her death. Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets and sulked off back to the car park.

Lisa watched as Jack walked away, not expecting to see the vulnerability in his eyes. She could see he was scared and worried about losing something that he cared for more than himself. That did not fall in line with what the stories of Jack Harkness were about.

Ianto sighed and crossed his arms over chest when he saw Jack return and the look on his face. It was clear that their celebration was not going to happen. "What happened? Are we going to have to cancel dinner?"

"You know I love you, right?" Jack pulled Ianto into his arms and held on like it could be their last time. His face was buried so deeply against Ianto's neck, Jack could hardly breathe.

"I know and I love you too, but now you are scaring me. What's going on, Jack?" Ianto kissed the side of his husband's head. He knew well enough to know it had to be very serious. Jack was usually good at hiding how scared he was, but when he showed it, it meant the situation was usually dire.

"Lisa, she came through the rift from when you two came here for Mica's third birthday." Jack felt his heart rip from his chest when Ianto pulled out of the embrace and took off for the main part of the hub. One of Jack's greatest fears began to come true. He felt as if this was the beginning of the end.

**To be Continued... **


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**: Stranger in the Night 4/5  
**Author**: Iantojjackh  
**Spoilers**: Everything up to Exit Wounds. Set several years post s2 where CoE and MD don't exist.  
**Pairing/Characters:** Jack/Ianto, Past Ianto/Lisa, Gwen  
**Warnings**: Some darkish themes in later chapters  
**Beta**:czarina-kitty  
**Rating**: PG  
**Summary**: Someone shows up suddenly and unexpectedly in Cardiff one rainy night. Why has she shown up now, after all this time? Most importantly what does Ianto know about the reappearance?  
**Notes**: It's been almost a year since I last posted to this story, but I've reworked what I had posted and now the story is complete and I will be posting a chapter a day. Please leave feedback so I know what you think. I'm extra nervous about these two last chapters.

* * *

**_Chapter 4: The Reunion_**

Jack stood stunned, unable to move as Ianto left without saying a word and in doing that he said so much. Everyone had said he would be the one to break Ianto's heart, but he wondered why did it feel like he would be the one to end up with the broken heart. As much as he wanted to chase after his husband and see what was going to happen, he thought better of it and got into the SUV and headed home. Ianto needed to have the conversation he never got with Lisa the first time.

There was nothing he could do but wait and see. Jack had to believe his relationship with Ianto was strong enough to survive this. The immortal loathed feeling vulnerable and unsure and it scared him that one person had the ultimate power to destroy him in a way that Jack might never recover from. Ianto was the one person Jack could not live without. He knew what his life was like once Ianto had become a big part of it. The one pitfall of finding your soulmate; you had to wonder if you were their soulmate too.

The five minute drive home felt like an hour, their spacious flat felt like a never ending cavern. A bottle of scotch kept Jack company until the cold night no longer felt cold as he sat on the balcony off their bedroom.

Jack knew Ianto would always love Lisa and he was scared what emotions seeing her would stir up. Then there was the fact that she could not stay in this time for very long without risking the timeline and that bought up a whole new set of complications. He had to trust that Ianto would do the right thing. The rational part of his brain knew it would be done, but the irrational, the part of Jack that was the worried spouse thought there was a chance Ianto wanted to explore a love that was cut short and that he would forget the life that had built together.

"Have faith he'll come home. The last five years weren't for nothing," Jack tried to talk himself down from the metaphorical ledge. Thunder could be heard in the distance, setting the tone for an ominous end to the evening.

* * *

Ianto ran at almost full speed to the main part of the hub. His heart was beating so fast, Ianto thought he'd pass out or that it would pop out of his chest. He stopped short when Lisa first came into sight. It was like his mind put a halt on the control his heart had exerted.

"You're an idiot," Ianto chastised himself. He had seen the worry on Jack's face. He had made Jack's fears come true with his hasty departure. Suddenly it was as if Ianto was frozen in place, trapped between the two halves of his heart. Should he lie about what had become his life and keep the timeline safe or tell the truth and run the risk of creating a paradox. Retcon would have been the standard protocol, but it seemed wrong to drug Lisa.

The conflicted Welshman stayed just out of sight for several minutes, trying to get a handle on the situation. He had almost forgotten how beautiful Lisa was and how scary she was when she was angry, which she clearly was at the moment.

Lying was the coward's way out, but the truth would be too much to swallow. How could Ianto tell Lisa that in a month that her life would be over? That humanity was on the brink of destruction only to be saved at the last minute and that he would be one of only twenty-seven people to survive the fall of Torchwood One.

Ianto reluctantly pulled his wedding band from his finger and dropped it into his shirt pocket. He would have to convince Lisa everything Jack and Gwen said was a lie. The problem Ianto had was that he had no idea what the others had told Lisa. He prayed that Jack had gone home and that he would not walk in during the twisted tale he was about to weave. It was because he loved both, Jack and Lisa, that he was going to have to do this. He had to deny the truth about his love for Jack. And tonight was the worst possible night for Jack to overhear that.

"I'm sorry I can explain," Ianto voice slightly hitched as he did his best to keep his distance even though he wanted to take Lisa into his arms and never let go.

"Explain? Where do you begin? Why are they saying six years have passed? What's going on?" Lisa said highly panicked. For the first time she could not get a read on Ianto. It was as if he was hiding something, but there was something else. It was almost as if he had not seen her in a long while.

Ianto felt like he had been kicked in the chest as all air was sucked from his lungs. He was not sure if he should tell the truth or weave some lie. The truth could lead to a fracture in time if it caused a change in the timeline, but lying to Lisa would reopen many healed old wounds. Ianto reminded himself that he was not alone and he still had Jack to help him through this. "It's what I have them thinking. It's all part of Yvonne's plan to take over the operation here. "

"And what about this whole marriage thing?" Lisa asked. She was wary of about being lead on, but no matter what problems they were having, she still trusted Ianto.

Ianto gulped, knowing Jack would have made his feelings clear and what he was about to say would hurt more than he expected. "All part of the plan. Apparently I'm Harkness' type."

"Apparently," Lisa said evenly. "I saw the look on his face, whatever Yvonne's plan is, that man is in love with you. Is it because you drugged him?"

Ianto did not even need to speak, the look on his face gave away the answer. Loving Jack was as easy as breathing and it was impossible to say otherwise, leading Ianto to realize that he couldn't lie, that he shouldn't lie. "I haven't drugged Jack. He told you the truth...the whole truth."

"What do you mean it's the whole truth? That six years have passed or that you're married to him?" Lisa was not sure what to believe anymore and she buried her face in her hands. She barely heard Ianto's reply.

"Both," Ianto said softly as he stared at his feet, shuffling them uncomfortably, a knot tightening in his stomach at the thought of the questions to come.

"That woman...Gwen said something about One not being around anymore. Was she telling the truth too?"

Ianto nodded, refusing to go into the gruesome details. He could not even look Lisa in the eye. It was as if he was being pulled in half, one side toward Lisa and the other toward Jack. The Welshman swallowed the bile that rose in the back of his throat. The sick feel was almost too great to control, but he managed.

"What happened?" Lisa did not miss the pained look on Ianto's face. "You aren't a good liar. It's bad, isn't it?" She erased the distance between them and cupped his face between her hands, "You're in love with him aren't you? That's a dumb question. You wouldn't jump into something like marriage unless you were serious."

"Jack's nothing like Yvonne made him out to be. He's really amazing once you get to know him. " Ianto finally managed a sly smirk. Jack was certainly full of surprises and it was difficult to contain his happiness.

"You've been with him for five years..." Lisa left the notion hanging that sometime in the next year or so that something causes them to cease being a couple. "How long have you been married?" The tiniest hint of jealousy rose to the surface.

"A year. A year today."

"Are you happy?"

Ianto nodded, "It took a while, but I'm truly happy." Ianto, too, avoided the large elephant in the room and refused to answer the question that he sensed Lisa was too scared to ask.

"Does you being here have to do with whatever happens to One?" Lisa figured that was a safe question to ask. She figured that he did not know about the baby or he wanted no part of its life or else Ianto would have mentioned something about it.

Ianto nodded, biting his lip as he fought back the tears. "Everything to do with it. I'm the only one from One that is still part of Torchwood." Not to mention that he was one of only seventeen still alive and one of only three active agents (two going to UNIT), but Ianto could not bring himself to say that. "I'm sorry." A stray tear rolled down his cheek.

Lisa held up her hands and shook her head, feeling sick to her stomach imagining the worst possibilities of what happened. She had a good feeling she was probably dead and oddly enough Lisa had an odd sense of peace about it. It was all part of the danger of working for Torchwood. "It's those ghost shifts Hartman is messing with, isn't it?"

It felt like all the air had been sucked from the room as Ianto could not catch his breath. Soon the coppery taste of blood fill his mouth as he bit down on the inside of his cheek. "Please stop asking those questions," Ianto voice cracked. Ianto had grown accustomed to living with those memories constantly in the background of his mind, but it felt like a burning blade tearing into his chest when he had to relive the dark days of six years ago. His carefully constructed composure was starting to crack and fall apart.

"Then I have to convince her to stop." Lisa shook her head defiantly. She forcefully took Ianto's face in her hands so that he could look her in the eye, but he fought her every step of the way. "Just tell me what happens so I can stop it."

Ianto pulled himself free and slowly started to back away, fighting the urge to scream. "You can't stop it. You can't change a fixed point in time without having the universe unravel around it." That was about all the information he was willing to give at the moment.

"Fixed point in time? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Something or someone in history that cannot be changed no matter what." Ianto turned his back so Lisa would not see how he struggled to keep it together.

"Christ, Ianto. Just what happened? Is London still standing?" Lisa tried to understand the cryptic message.

"The city is fine. Everything was contained within Torchwood Tower." That was it and Ianto's composure was completely cracked. "I'm sorry. I did all I could, but it wasn't enough."

"It's okay. It will be okay. I know you would have done everything." Lisa took Ianto into her arms and he immediately held on for dear life. It was clear this man was different from the one she left in the hotel, he was much more mature. The man she always knew he was capable of being. Lisa slowly pulled away from the embrace and used the end of her shirt sleeves to dry Ianto's tears. "I've only ever wanted you to live up to your potential and be happy. I just never expected it to be without me. I'm mad as hell at the jerk I left in the hotel. I just hope he doesn't exist anymore. You clearly aren't him."

"He's gone. He died with everyone else." The last statement was whispered so Lisa did not hear it.

"You were right, you know, family is important. It just took a while for me to realize that. No matter what horrid things they did to you growing up, family is still family. I never told you why I was always so reluctant to see my sister." Once Ianto started he could not stop. Jack had been the only one who knew what had happened in his childhood; Rhiannon placing the blame on him when things went wrong and him facing punishment at his father's hand.

"I had no idea. I'm so sorry. If I knew I would ever have forced you to come," Lisa said horrified at the news, but it gave a new perspective on the Ianto she knew. "And you actually talk to your sister after all that?"

Ianto nodded. "It's the past. I can't change it and I can only look forward."

There was something in those words that struck a chord with Lisa. The past and being unable to change it. "Will I be able to go back? If I don't wouldn't it change the past?" It was a valid question and one she hoped Ianto could answer.

"I can send you back. We've recently perfected the rift program to reopen tears that have opened in the past twelve hours, to send people or things back to where they came from, if it's in the best interest of humanity for them to return." Tosh had laid the basic programming shortly before she died and it took until now for Ianto to finish her work.

"How long before I...you know?"

"I can't answer that." Ianto could have answered it, knowing he was going to have to Retcon Lisa before he sent her back. "You know, preserving timelines and not causing the universe to unravel."

"Fixed point in time. Am I right? Isn't there a way I could be saved? What difference can one person's life make? You can give me a date not to go into work and whatever happens can still happen," Lisa tried to reason.

"It's not that simple. Both Jack and I are fixed points in space and time. We were destined to end up together," Ianto explained, knowing it would be a hard concept to grasp. "The one rumour that Hartman had right about Jack was that he cannot die. Though that is not entirely true...he can die, but he doesn't stay dead for long and five years ago when I was in a horrible car crash, Jack saved my life with a blood transfusion. He gave me almost half his blood volume and in doing that I became immortal like him. The universe has some grand plan for the two of us. It could be tomorrow or it could be a million years from now, but Jack and I..." Ianto knew this was a hard truth to accept, which was evident as the colour drained from Lisa's face.

"Here, why don't you sit down. Do you want me to get you some water?" Ianto lead Lisa to one of the metal stools. "This is a lot to take in, I know."

"You aren't kidding," Lisa said in disbelief as she sat down. "You will never die? How does that work with ageing?"

"Just age very slowly. Jack's been around for a while," Ianto explained, not really sure how the years added up when he was buried alive. It was not a time they liked to talk about. He used the opportunity when getting water to slip a tab of Retcon in. There was a part of the Welshman that wanted to hold on to Lisa a little while longer, but knew the longer she was here the harder it would be to send her back.

"You really fell hard for him. I see the way you look whenever you talk about him. I never thought you went that way." It was an honest statement with no malice behind it, but more of curiosity.

"I didn't know either. It's just Jack. There is just something with us that clicks and works. He's really nothing like Yvonne made him out to be. Sure Jack's a perpetual flirt, but he's so much more. He has the biggest heart of anyone I know. He puts up a lot of defenses to protect himself, but once you get to know him your life is all the better for it." Ianto handed the water bottle, hiding the budding guilt that threatened to make him ill.

"He's scared of losing you. I saw it in his eyes before," Lisa said softly. Oddly, she did not feel any jealousy... well not much jealously anyway. "He really loves you a lot." She took a large gulp from the water bottle and several big gulps later it was finished.

Ianto winced as he offered Lisa his hand so he could take her outside to where she slipped through the rift. He realized Lisa was right about Jack and with the way he had left his husband, he was sure he had created a lot of doubt that he come home. "What do you say to a walk?"

Lisa nodded and took Ianto's hand. "Sounds good. I think I could use a little air."

Ianto felt the spark as soon as their hands met and his cheeks felt as if they were on fire. He needed this last bit of physical contact to give him the closure he never got years ago. "It does get a little stuffy down there," Ianto let out the breath he had been holding as soon as the crisp night air hit him.

"How are you going to send me home?" Lisa asked feeling somewhat nervous. Her stomach churned and she willed herself not to vomit. She was not sure if it was from being pregnant or nerves. There was so much she knew and did not know about what was going to happen.

"The same way you came here. I just press this device and the same opening you came here in will open up and you go through that," Ianto explained with a stoic expression on his face.

"You should put this back on." Lisa forced a smile as she reached into the pocket of Ianto's shirt and pulled out the wedding band he had put their earlier. "Go home and enjoy the rest of the evening with that handsome man who is crazy for you." There was no hint of jealously when she slid the band back onto his finger. Ianto was happy and that was all that mattered.

"He is rather handsome," Ianto said with a fond smile. "But we have to get you home first. Feel free to smack me around some for being such a jerk on this trip, but not too hard." He grabbed Lisa for on final hug and savoured the good memories they had. "I'll never stop loving you," Ianto whispered and gave Lisa one last kiss on the cheek. It was the proper goodbye they never got to share before.

"I think I just might have to do that. You're being rather insufferable on this trip," Lisa said with a good nature smiled. "I'm really proud of you. It's obvious you've come a long way."

"Thank you." Ianto could not describe how much it meant to hear that Lisa was proud of him. "Are you ready to go?"

"What, no other warnings not to share what I learned here?" Lisa said with a nervous laugh and a nod to show that she was ready.

"That doesn't matter. You won't remember anything of your time here."

"You drugged me?" Lisa dark eyes went wide in shock. "How could you? I wouldn't have said anything."

Ianto felt a lump in his throat so tight he could hardly breathe. "I had no choice. Even the smallest of innocuous comment could change and destroy the fabric of time." Ianto closed his eyes, unable to look at the betrayed look in Lisa's eyes. "Sometimes we have to let the most horrific things happen for the betterment of the world." A true sign Ianto had been drinking the Torchwood Kool-Aid for too long.

"You bastard. Don't give me that line," Lisa screamed, pounding her fists into Ianto's shoulder. "I'm as good as dead any time now and you get to live forever. How is that fair?" The reality of going back to her own time was setting in, she was not going to go without a fight. The desperate woman thought that if Ianto knew about the baby he would not send her back.

"It's not fair." Ianto was at a loss of what else to stay, but being a fixed point in space and time gave him a unique understanding that his fate could not be changed and by extension, Lisa had to be at Canary Wharf for the attack in order for him to return to Cardiff. Ianto did the only thing he could do, he pressed the button on the remote rift activator. "Your fate is tied in with mine and this is what needs to be done. It's really killing me inside to do this, but losing you was the hardest thing I had to ever go through." Real and not faked tears pricked the corner of his eyes.

The sedative in the Retcon took fast hold and Lisa fought its effects. "What about our child? Does it survive?" Lisa fell backward into the open rift fracture and was pulled back to her own time.

Ianto stood there, his heart shattering at Lisa's final words as she disappeared. It was news that was new to him and had he known before the drug was slipped into her water, Ianto would have come up with a different plan. He had to now live with the fact that he sent two lives off to die in a month.

**To be continued**...


	5. Chapter 5

**Title**: Stranger in the Night 5/5 + Epilogue  
**Author**: Iantojjackh  
**Spoilers**: Everything up to Exit Wounds. Set several years post s2 where CoE and MD don't exist.  
**Pairing/Characters: **Jack/Ianto, Past Ianto/Lisa, Gwen  
**Warnings**: Some darkish themes in later chapters  
**Beta**: czarina-kitty  
**Rating**: PG  
**Summary**: Someone shows up suddenly and unexpectedly in Cardiff one rainy night. Why has she shown up now, after all this time? Most importantly what does Ianto know about the reappearance?  
**Notes**: It's been almost a year since I last posted to this story, but I've reworked what I had posted and now the story is complete and I will be posting a chapter a day. Please leave feedback so I know what you think. I decided to treat everyone and post this chapter tonight.

* * *

**_Chapter 5: Is Home Where the Heart is?_**

Ianto's heart stopped as Lisa vanished and the rift claimed her once more, so that she could return to her time. Her final words caught Ianto off guard and caused him to regret sending Lisa back, he had just condemned two people to die at Canary Wharf. Ianto never knew Lisa had been pregnant and knew he would not have sent her back had he had any idea she was carrying his child. It was not as if he could follow her through the rift and protect his unborn child. There would be no way for him to return back to this time. The most damming was Retcon's effect on a foetus. Given in the first trimester it almost always resulted in a miscarriage and if it did not, then there would certainly be birth defects. Either way Ianto knew he had sentenced his unborn child to death. The guilt of that act was staggering.

As soon as the last residual image of Lisa faded away, the sky opened up and torrential rain poured forth as if the heavens were weeping with Ianto. The salty tears mixed with the fresh water of the rain and no one could tell where one ended and the other began. Ianto did not want to return home and deal with the inevitable questions, so he wandered aimlessly for what seemed like an eternity but in reality was close to two hours. In that time the rain had not let up and it soaked Ianto until his clothes were plastered to his body. He was not sure how he got home, but Ianto found himself standing at the door, staring blankly as fresh tears began to spill forth. He reached up to put the key in the lock without a key in hand. Ianto stood in that position, sobbing and shivering, losing all track of time. It did not even register when a set of strong arms pulled him in close.

After several hours of waiting for Ianto to come, Jack had gone out in search of his husband, but he found the hub empty and his mobile pinged back to the SUV, left there earlier in the evening. The only option was to wait a little longer before making a full sweep of the city for Ianto, but he did not expect to see the other man standing in front of the door, trying to unlock the door with no key. It crushed Jack to see Ianto so broken and saturated from the rain. Once he realized Ianto was sobbing uncontrollably but quietly, Jack was by his other half's side and pulling him into his arms.

It reminded him of the first time he had lost Lisa, but that time Ianto had his hatred of Jack and the world to keep him fighting. Hatred is a strong motivator. Sometimes stronger than love. Now love was all Jack had to offer and it just had to be enough. "You're freezing. Let's get you inside."

The hour that followed was more of a blur than the last couple of hours. The last thing he remembered was getting off the lift in soaking wet clothes and now he was in front of the fire in dry clothes with a blanket wrapped around him.

Then Ianto saw Jack's worried face and he reached out and took his partner's hand in his and squeezed softly.

The hand squeeze was not much, but it at least showed Ianto had not completely checked out of reality. Jack wanted to ask the obvious questions and with Ianto's current mental state he was not sure if the Welshman had followed through. Though the fact that they were still in this time line was a pretty clear signal that Lisa was sent back to her own time, but whatever happened in between had broken something in a normally unflappable man. "Did you sleep with her?" The question was so inappropriate Jack was even ashamed that it came out of his mouth. He trusted Ianto to never cheat on him, but the whole situation made the Captain very nervous.

"What?" Ianto recoiled in disbelief. "How could you even ask that?" He pulled his hand away and stood up quickly, almost knocking back the chair he had been in.

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry." Jack reached a retreating Ianto but only came up with the blanket that had been on his shoulders. As quickly as Ianto had come back he was gone and Jack jumped when the ensuite door slammed. Jack was torn if he should follow or give his husband some space, especially with his insensitive comment. It was a double edged sword, where you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. This was a time where doing was the lesser of two evils.

First he tired the door, which was locked. "Ianto, let me in." He knocked on the door. After several moments of no response, Jack knocked again. "I'm worried about you." There was almost complete silence except the sounds of some movement from the other side.

Ianto did what he did best when he was upset and that was clean. It did not matter that the room had been cleaned top to bottom the day before. First, Ianto picked up the wet clothes on the floor...his wet clothes. Clothes he did not remember taking off, much less leave on the floor. It only made sense that Jack must have helped him change, as everything since Lisa went back into the rift was a blur.

Through the door Ianto heard Jack's mobile ring and pressed his ear to the door to listen to the conversation. Chances were excellent that it was Gwen and he wanted to hear what she wanted.

"Gwen, it's not really a good time...Yes, he came home... I don't know. Gwen, I've got to go... That doesn't matter now... I don't care what you think, my top priority is taking care of him." Jack sighed, annoyed at the Welshwoman. He powered down his mobile in case she was to call back. There was going to be no interruptions while he was taking care of his husband.

"Just so you know I'm going to stand outside this door until you come out or let me in." Jack knew this was going to be worse than the first time Ianto lost Lisa, since if he did send her home, it was by Ianto's own hand and that guilt had to be worse than when she was in the cyber unit.

Ianto waited almost an hour before he exited the ensuite, most of the time had been devoted to cleaning. "You will find two Retcon pills missing when you go in tomorrow," Ianto said in a monotone voice. There was no hint emotion to be found and that was what Ianto needed right now. His insides were twisted up in knots so tight that it felt as if they could be there forever.

Jack decided to not use any words, knowing nothing he could say would make the situation any better and instead he pulled Ianto into a tight, but comforting embrace.

Ianto stood unmoving for several minutes before finally accepting the offered comfort. His arms wrapped tightly around Jack's middle. "I did what needed to be done." His voice sounded like a robot, almost inhuman; a stark contrast to the trembling body in his arms.

For some reason, the quiet and supportive role Jack was playing angered Ianto more than it should have. Perhaps he was displacing the anger meant for himself onto someone who was trying to help. Angrily, Ianto pulled away and punched his husband in the shoulder with all his strength. "Aren't you going say I did the right thing. Keeping the precious timeline intact."

"That's not what you need to hear right now," Jack said stiffly, not showing how much the punch really hurt.

"What if it's what I want to hear?" Ianto challenged.

"That won't make you feel better."

"Aren't you going to ask me why two Retcon pills will be missing?" Ianto wanted Jack to be mad, but nothing seemed to work.

"I know what you are doing and just stop." Jack refused to take the bait and offered a comforting kiss on the tip of the nose and a reassuring hand grip. "You took the other pill just before you came out. Why do you want to forget after all this time? You got a chance to say goodbye this time. That shouldn't be something you make yourself forget."

"She was pregnant, Jack. I sent them both back to die. I never knew until tonight that Lisa had been pregnant. I killed my child and the guilt of that feels like its eating me alive. I'm a monster and I want to forget I'm a murderer." Ianto's voice finally showed emotion, but it was the heartbreaking kind. Cracking and on the verge of crying.

"You are no monster, Ianto and you never could be. Don't even think like that." The pregnancy news shocked Jack and it went a long way to explain Ianto's behaviour. He always knew the Welshman wanted kids and it was not a topic they had ever discussed together.

"We were on the verge of ending our relationship before Canary Wharf. Truthfully, Lisa and I did sort of break up the day before the attack. The day of the battle, I could only think about finding Lisa and getting her to safety. Then I thought if I could save her, we could go back to the way things used to be and then I met you and my plans went off track," Ianto said all in one breath. There was so much more he wanted to say before the Retcon took over and he fought the effects. "It just totally ruined tonight. I ruined our night. I ruined her night. I ruined everything. I ruin everything I love. I just want to forget tonight and wake up in the morning thinking I drank too much. Is that too much to ask for?"

Jack shook his head and let Ianto lean against him for support. "It's not too much to ask for. You don't ruin everything. Everyone's life you've touched is better because you've been there. Don't sell yourself short."

Ianto let out a short laugh as everything began to spin. "You have to say that because you love me. Now I'll never know what it is to have a child of my own. To have someone look up to me and call me Daddy. Guess it was not meant to be," his words slurred and became more like incoherent rambling. The deep hidden inner insecurities and desires rose to the top as Ianto mumbled what it would be like to have a child of his own.

"Is that something you want for us? Do you want us to try for a baby?" For Ianto, Jack would do the only thing he said he would never do again, get pregnant.

The response from Ianto was a change in breathing as the sedative in the Retcon worked it's magic and Ianto was asleep.

"We can start trying in the morning," Jack whispered and carried the sleeping man to bed.

"Happy anniversary, my dear husband. I love you." Ianto seemed to smile in his sleep as if to say yes to Jack's idea to start a family of their own. "We're going to make gorgeous babies," Jack continued to make plans for how many children they would have, what they would look like and which of them they would take after.

The curtain on the past fell, losing that chapter forever and a new curtain began to rise on the next generation for the Harkness-Jones family. Or did it?

**The End!**

_Epilogues to come!_


	6. Epilogue

**Title**: Stranger in the Night - The Epilogues  
**Author**: Iantojjackh  
**Spoilers**: Everything up to Exit Wounds. Set several years post s2 where CoE and MD don't exist.  
**Pairing/Characters: **Jack/Ianto, Past Ianto/Lisa, Gwen  
**Warnings**: Some darkish themes  
**Beta**: czarina-kitty  
**Rating**: PG  
**Summary**: Someone shows up suddenly and unexpectedly in Cardiff one rainy night. Why has she shown up now, after all this time? Most importantly what does Ianto know about the reappearance?  
**Notes**: It's been almost a year since I last posted to this story, but I've reworked what I had posted and now the story is complete and I will be posting a chapter a day. Please leave feedback so I know what you think. I decided post the epilogues together because the news about GDL coming to NY ComicCon put me is such a great mood that its distracting me. Now onto the epilogues.

* * *

**Lisa's Epilogue**

Lisa walked numbly toward the lift, a broken woman after leaving the staff medical clinic. The trip to Cardiff had been an absolute nightmare, stretching her troubled relationship with Ianto to its limit and to make things worse, she had lost the baby she had been carrying. The doctor had tried to assure her that she was still young and there was no reason she could not have children in the future. The hollow words were well intentioned to help make her feel better, but they fell flat and made the young woman feel worse. There was nothing to help save the doomed relationship all because Ianto refused to grow up.

It did not take long for the tears to fall and Lisa could hardly see through them when she got onto the lift and she did not see the other person tucked away in the corner until she walked right into them.

Normally Jack would have welcomed an attractive crying female walking into him, but the epic fight he had with the arrogant Yvonne Hartman had killed the mood. "Hey watch it!" he snapped, his anger being transferred to the wrong person.

"Sorry," Lisa said with no emotion as she tried to wipe the steady stream of tears. She finally got a good look at the man she had run into. At first she jumped, knowing the trouble Jack Harkness was, but there was another immediate gut reaction that said he was not as bad as the stories made him out to be. It was as if in the back of her mind, someone else had painted a favorable picture of Captain Jack.

"Just be careful next time. You could ruin my coat." Jack knew it was a shallow remark, but he was too angry with everything Torchwood One represented to give a damn.

"Where's your wedding band?" Lisa asked, not knowing why she asked the question or why she would assume he was married.

"I don't have one. Haven't been married in a long time." Jack raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"

Lisa shook her head, trying to regain control and composure of herself. "I mistook you for someone else. My apologies." The vibe coming off Jack made Lisa's head spin as odd memories flashed before her. A gaped tooth woman holding a gun on her. Jack leaning over a railing in an underground room as he twisted a wedding band around his finger and Ianto in tight leather trousers.

Jack knew what the type of vacant looking on Lisa's face meant; it was the look someone got with memory flashes, when breaking Retcon. "Were you in Cardiff recently and were you drugged?" Jack thought if she was, that it was either Owen or Suzie.

"Yes," Lisa stuttered some as she recalled witnessing Ianto dropping something into a bottle of water. That bastard. "Your husb...my boyfriend."

Fucking Owen. Jack cursed under his breath. "Listen, lady I already told you I'm not married." When he got back to Cardiff, Jack planned on revoking Owen's Retcon privileges.

Lisa was relieved when the lift stopped on her floor. Her mouth was working faster than her mind and she just wanted to stop talking. "Just take care of him. He loves you very much and you love him just as much."

Before Jack could respond the mysterious, weird woman was gone. What she said about a husband made no sense and he chalked it up to the oddness that was One, never thinking or believing any of it could come true.

* * *

**Ianto's Epilogue**

Ianto was too comfortable to move when he felt a jarring movement next to him in bed.

*Bounce*

*Bounce*

Each jostle of the mattress made Ianto feel as if he was on a small boat in rough waters. A glance at the bedside table said it was way too early to deal with this. Not even four in the morning. An annoyed sigh escaped from the young man. "Lisa, stop jumping on the bed. Go back to sleep."

"No," she shook her head defiantly.

"Yes, it's too early. Sleep now."

"But it's present time. I don't want to sleep. I want presents." She gave Ianto the cutest pout possible. One he was always known to relent to.

Ianto muttered under his breath and poked the handsome sleeping lump next to him. "Jack wake up."

"No. I'm sleeping," Jack mumbled and swatted the hand away that was disturbing his sleep. Some mornings not even a sexy Welshmen promising very naughty things could get him to move.

"Your daughter wants you." Ianto poked his husband some more.

Jack groaned as the mattress was jumped on again, finally fully waking him up. "Why is it when she's a perfect angel, she's your daughter and when she's causing trouble she's mine?"

"Because that's the way it works. I'm the good one and you are the trouble maker." Ianto sat up and was met with a thirty pound present in his lap. "Ow." The air was forced from his lungs by a knee to his stomach.

"I love you, Daddy. Now we do presents?" The four year old was as excited as a child on Christmas Day, well... because it was Christmas Day.

"Not yet. It's too early. Let me and Papa sleep a little more. Besides I don't think Santa has been here yet," Ianto tried convince he daughter to let them get more sleep as he and Jack had only retired two hours ago after wrapping all the presents and each other.

Lisa shook her head, knowing better. "He was here. I saw all the presents. Open now. Pretty please."

Ianto had to laugh, realizing their daughter did Jack's pout better than he did. "You know what Santa told me?"

"You saw him?" Lisa's eyes grew wide with amazement. "What did he say?"

"He said that you can't open presents until six or else the rift will eat them. So that means you've got two more hours. How about you lay between me and Papa until then. Is that a deal?" Ianto kissed the tip of her nose, the only feature she inherited from him, everything else was all Jack.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. Lisa did not want her presents to disappear, so she had no choice but to obey.

"Papa?" Lisa looked over at the snoring man and then back to her Daddy. The two shared a knowing smirk.

"Go for it," Ianto was not shocked that his husband had already fallen back asleep. "Get him, pumpkin."

Lisa jumped off Ianto's lap and onto Jack's chest and began to tickle him mercilessly.

Jack suddenly opened his eyes and lifted a giggling Lisa in the air. "Looks like I caught a tickle monster. What shall I do with her and her co-conspirator?" He said in a fake scary voice. "I think I shall tickle her back unless she switches sides and helps me tickle the grumpy Daddy monster."

"Hey! I'm not grumpy." Ianto stuck his tongue out at the two.

"Let's get him," Lisa laughed, her sweet laughter filling the room.

There was much tickling and laughter to be had and in the end Jack came out the victor. His heart swelled and tears pricked the corner of his eyes as he watched Ianto sleeping while sitting with Lisa curled up with her head against his chest, her small hand snugly encased in Ianto's much larger one.

For a brief moment Jack remembered an odd encounter in a lift twelve years ago in Torchwood Tower and Jack smiled. He did love Ianto so much and that love was returned. And there was not a more perfect example of that love than the life they had created together and whom shared the name of the woman on the lift.

He hoped Lisa would be proud of everything Ianto had done and become and the way they memorialized her. Because Jack couldn't be prouder of nor happier with him.

**The True End**


End file.
